The Welsh Conservatives have criticised Dŵr Cymru after the industry regulator Ofwat proposed a £44.7 million enforcement package, finding “serious and unacceptable” breaches in the company’s sewage and wastewater services. Ofwat said the company failed to properly operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater network to ensure it could cope with sewage levels, and lacked adequate processes and senior oversight to prevent excessive spills.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and the Environment, Janet Finch-Saunders MS said:
“Dŵr Cymru customers will be frustrated to see bills rising while Ofwat has now found serious and unacceptable failures in how the company has operated and maintained its sewage network.
“This £44.7 million enforcement package raises a fundamental question for customers across Wales: what exactly are they paying for? Dŵr Cymru’s bill increases were supposed to deliver improved infrastructure and reduce sewage discharges, yet Wales continues to experience some of the worst pollution incidents in the UK.
“With Wales experiencing far higher levels of sewage discharges than England, the continued inaction from both Dŵr Cymru and the Labour Welsh Government is compromising our waterways and failing communities who rightly expect better.”
ENDS
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Welsh Water to pay £44.7m after 'unacceptable' sewage failures
